sion according to the following proportions, viz: eight
shares to the man, four to his wife, two to each son, and
one to each daughter. After making the division as above,
the husband and wife, if they choose, may dedicate their
own shares to the joint interest; and their heirs, if of law-
ful age, have their respective shares delivered to them by
their father, to be for their own use and disposal. But if
under age, whether they belong to the Society or not, their
shares are deposited in the hands of the trustees of the
joint interest, to be delivered to them when they become of
lawful age; which will then be for their own use and dis-
posal. The foregoing disposition of property has been the
abiding rule in the Society ever since its first organization
in a joint interest.
  And further, they seem to insinuate " that the manage-
ment of the Shakers has a direct tendency to increase
pauperism," c.
  Answer; It is truly wonderful indeed, that these wise
men should be so alarmed about pauperism at so late a
period; whereas it cannot be found, after the experience
of forty years of the management of the Shakers, that
there has ever been one person chargeable upon the town
as a pauper, who does, or ever has held any connexion with
them, since the organization of said Society; neither can
it be made to appear, that any person has ever been any
expense to the town, on account of wives or children being
disinherited by their husbands or parents joining said soci-
ety, within the above mentioned period.
  The following will show what the management of ihe
Shakers has been; and also whether it leads to increase
pauperism or otherwise.
  In the year 1782, at the commencement of the denomi-
nation of the people called Shakers, in Enfield, we took
into our community a poor family, on account of the faith
of the father and mother, by the name of Howard, who
were residents of the town of Enfield. He being very
poor, was not able to support himself, much less his family.
Two of his children being idiots could not be considered
members of any society; therefore must consequently
belong to the town as paupers. Yet notwithstanding, we
have supported them for more than forty years, without
their being any expense to the town, with the exception of
fifty dollars, which the town paid in 1808, in part for their
support that year. These two paupers have been a great